How to persuade a child to take a blood test

KxMx

You might want him to have the test, but at 13 he gets to make the final decision.
If you feel that is an informed decision (being mad he won't do it isn't enough cause to call it uninformed) I think you should leave it well alone.

claire16c

I don't understand, is he ill or not?

If its not needed then I'd let him get on with his decision.

I didn't have a blood test until I was 28 & I was quite scared about it. At 13 I would have been petrified & probably not wanted one either unless it was necessary. Although if my mum or dr had told me to get one, I probably would have been more scared of saying no to them :rotfl:

Nick_C

I think its pathetic that you have to persuade your child to have a blood test. When I needed blood tests as a child, my parents arranged for them to be done. No question of being persuaded or giving consent. He is a child. He is incapable of making these decisions himself.

Others will disagree, and think he should be given the vote!!

sukysue

Is the poor kid just trying to claim control over what happens to him ? Perhaps he feels overwhelmed by it all and worried about loads of things that may or may not happen. Prapps he doesn't like the nurse or the dr or he just doesn't want to bother and thinks it is all a waste of time or he feels railroaded into it and is digging his heels in. If I were you Victory I would back off a bit and let him decide what to do . If it really is that important then there is not a lot you can do about it. He needs to give his consent to have it done.Sorry Victory I hope he agrees to do it soon for everyones sake.

Molly41

Unfortunately in an emergency situation such as cannulation he will not have a say as to whether it can happen. Sometimes the adult needs to be in charge and say what goes, especially regarding health issues.

supersaver2

Hmm, well part for me would want to say 'your having it done and that's the end of it!' He's a child, what happens when he has needed immunisations in the past? Has he refused them as well? If he is scared of the pain they should refer him to the children's ward who can used a numbing cream which takes effect in half and hour. I've spent a lot of time here with my daughter who goes for monthly tests, she's only a baby so can't have the numbing cream used on her. Yes it's 1 minutes of unpleasantness but clearly if they are offering a blood tests they must have reason?

My friends daughter who is 12 is type 1 diabetic yet she hates having blood taken at the hospital and my friend dreads the yearly flu jab debacle. She had her yearly flu jab yesterday and apparently the Doctor was no nonsense and when the girl started to cry the Doctor said 'I've opened this injection now and it has your name on it so lets get on with it!' All done without the usual hysterics, no pandering my friend said it was the best experience yet at the Doctors having jabs!

olgadapolga

I have a 13yo and the best way I have of dealing with her is to tell her the consequences of her action/inaction (in her case it's about having braces for her teeth) and then leave her to think about it. She usually comes around to my way of thinking but thinks that it was her choice.

Teenagers can be extremely stubborn and the more you push them one way, the more they will dig their heels in and refuse to do it. He's old enough and sounds mature enough to decide and have his decision accepted and respected. You might find that by saying, "okay, fair enough, you don't have to have the blood test" he might then decide to have it done (just to spite you).

Best of luck but I certainly wouldn't be pushing my 13yo into having a non-urgent blood test if she'd decided not to have it. I'd ensure that she had the information (ie, pros and cons) to enable her to make the decision and then leave it for a while to see if she changed her mind.

mountainofdebt

If he's being allowed the priviledge of vetoing a blood test then he needs to 'man up' and at least tell you why he's decided not to have it. Personally I think he owes you this at least if its you that's going to have to deal with him becoming sicker as a result of not having the test done

Callie22

It sounds to me like he's got everything a bit mixed up in his head and avoiding the blood test is a way of avoiding the possible consequences - 'if I don't have the blood test then I don't have diabetes/thyroid issues/whatever'. Everyone's focusing on him being scared of the test but maybe he's more scared of the results?

itsanne

For information for some posters, and I'm not giving any opinion as to the rights and wrongs here:

At 13, the reality is that the boy will have to give consent for the blood test to be done. There is no point in saying that he should be made to or that his parent should make him - that is not how things work. Without his consent it won't happen, other than in an emergency.



Victory, from what you've said, we're not looking at a "routine" blood test and that the results could have a bearing about the future for your son. You don't need to be stumped - that's almost certainly why he's avoiding it, and if that's the reason a bribe is not remotely going to deal with the issue.

Unless it's really urgent that he has the test in the immediate future, I would recommend leaving it for a bit so he is able to come to terms with things in his own head. It's a big step for a thirteen year old to have to make a decision which potentially affects his whole future.

Unfortunately, if it's imperative that the test results are known in order to start treatment for your son, there's nothing other than talking to him to be done, perhaps by a relevant consultant. It's not an easy one for you or him.